Let's All Have a Good Family Time Here
by DoceoPercepto
Summary: Vlad Masters will do anything to have the perfect family, even if it means kidnapping Maddie and Danny. So of course that's exactly what he does. [Dark. Darkness. This is all dark and angsty. Vlad is a seriously messed up fruitloop. hi kitzy this is all your fault i love you]
1. Chapter 1

"Maddie…"

It was a deep purr of a word, thick as molasses dripping off thorns. It was rich and overdone, like the gilded mahogany chairs and the feast-burdened table, like the ornate stone fireplace that haloed Vlad in carmine light.

"I'm so _delighted_ you and Danny could come to stay… forever." Vlad continues, punctuating the drawl with a flash of his brilliantly white teeth. "Now, did you enjoy your day in the mansion? I'm sure you find it to be a much better accommodation than that ugly jigsaw of Jack's…"

Maddie sat at Vlad's direct right, face half shadowed by the flames. Robotically, she replied, "The mansion is lovely, dear. I just adore the view of the outdoors through the windows." Every word is insincerely selected for Vlad's enjoyment, much like the pink blouse she wore in favor of her jumpsuit.

"How sweet of you to say, darling," Vlad murmured, lapping up her act like honey.

Danny gagged.

"Well, Daniel, did you have some remark for me?"

"No."

"Do you find the love between your mother and I – dare I say - _repulsive_?"

"Of course not," Danny retorted, "you're a _great_ couple. I wouldn't want _anyone_ _else_ for my mom."

With the grace of a python, Vlad set down his sterling silver. "Son, pass me the bread, won't you?" His sickly sweet tone invited rebellion, and Danny couldn't stop himself –

"The _last_ thing I want to do is give _anything_ to a lonely, single, desperate –"

"Danny!" Maddie snapped.

Danny's eyes glowed a furious green, but he held his tongue.

"I would keep that anger of yours under control, Daniel. You don't want another shock now, do you?"

 _If I could just transform, I could kick his self-righteous butt across the room, and save my mom._ Except it wasn't an option. Vlad had made sure of that.

"Well, Daniel? The bread?"

"Danny," Maddie hissed through her teeth.

"Sure… whatever you want," Danny bit out. "But I'm gonna need a little bit more leeway here." He held up his wrists meaningfully. Heavy manacles and chains snared them - the same chains were wrapped around his chest, across his calves, and around his ankles.

"Where are your manners? Ask nicely, Daniel."

Danny ground his teeth together. " _Please,_ Vlad _?"_

The chains glowed green, and lengthened – Danny shot a frantic look towards his mom, but she had noticed nothing, the chains being hidden beneath the table.

 _Be more careful about using your powers, fruit loop._ Danny grabbed the bread basket and shoved it towards Vlad. The billionaire didn't take it.

"Now, now, it's so formal of you to call me by my name. I think you should call me… father."

Something snapped, and before he knew it, the words burst from his mouth, "Jack Fenton is my father, not some crazy obsessive guy like you!"

Silence.

Maddie froze in her seat, and Vlad went deadly still. "Oh, my son… Here I thought we could have some respect in this family. Couldn't you be at least a little grateful that I, in all my wealth and kindness, took you and your mother in?"

"You didn't 'take us in:' you kidnapped us! You're crazier than I thought if you believe we _want_ to be here."

"Danny, you heard him; do as he says." Maddie cut in sharply. She was trying so so hard to play the part of a stern, reprimanding mother. But Danny could see the stricken lines on her face. "Do as he says," she pleaded.

But Vlad's eyes had darkened to red, and Danny wasn't sure that 'not getting hurt' was an option anymore.

"Those chains may have been designed to keep your insubordinate self in place, but I don't see why we can't use them for punishment as well."

Punishment.

Danny and his mother had only been here two days, but already Danny knew well what means Vlad employed for punishment. He slicked his back against the chair, knuckles white from gripping the arm rests.

Vlad wouldn't blatantly use his power in front of Maddie, would he?

"It's an electric chair, see," Vlad lied, winking at Danny as if they were children keeping some light-hearted secret. "Let's see, how many shocks do you think it will take? Or should I increase the duration? Sometimes it isn't the quantity, but the quality, you know…"

Danny began to shake against his will, panic setting in. His mind raged against his mutinous fear, but his body remembered the past torture far too well. Already his wrists bore aggressive discolored marks from Vlad's punishments, and his skin nervously jumped in anticipation of the shocking.

"Vlad, dear," Maddie broke in frantically, "this may be unnecessary – if you just gave him time -?"

Vlad cast a glance at Maddie that was at once affectionate and irrevocably evil. "Maybe you're right. How about it, Daniel? Do you think you can say that one word – father? Maybe then we could avoid this whole _unpleasant_ affair."

Just one word. For this evil, sadistic monster who had his mom trapped in his mansion. Just one word. One word. He could do this.

"No?" Vlad drawled. "Well, that's too bad."

Electric current raked across his chest, from wrist to wrist, and Danny's spine arched off the chair, muscles violently contracting. It was over sooner than he expected, and he collapsed to the chair, panting.

Okay. That was… bad, but not terrible. Danny blinked, confused. Last time, it had been excruciatingly painful, as if Vlad had somehow used his powers to electrocute every cell in Danny's body at once.

Mystified, he glanced to Vlad, who arced his brow.

"Perhaps that was too lenient?"

"I think that's enough," Maddie's voice broke raggedly, like an unclean snap of wood that left jagged frail edges.

"On the contrary, I don't think dear Daniel has had enough."

"I'm sorry – father." Danny rushed to say. He couldn't let Vlad hurt him for real. Not while Maddie was around. He couldn't do that to his mom.

Vlad visibly wavered – should he accept the submission, or continue the torture he so clearly wanted to inflict?

But slowly he reclined against his throne-like chair. "How good to see that you're, shall I say, invested in this family."

Danny shuddered. He _really_ hated the cadence of Vlad's voice.

Vlad plucked up a roll from the basket. "So, darling Maddie, would you like a bite?"

Maddie was grey as stone. "I've lost my appetite," she whispered. Danny hastily shifted his bruised wrists out of sight, and Maddie averted her eyes.

"I insist," Vlad slid closer, a smarmy grin on his face, and offered a morsel between his fingertips.

Stiffly, Maddie reached for the bread but –

"Ah-ah. At this point in our relationship, surely we're past that?"

Maddie lowered her hand to her lap. "Yes… dear." She leaned in. Vlad's fingers tenderly brushed her lips as she accepted the offering.

"Perfect," Vlad sighed, eyes half-lidded. "Just perfect."

Danny closed his eyes. What had they gotten themselves into?


	2. Chapter 2

Vlad _graciously_ allowed Danny and Maddie free reign throughout his mansion. This was not nearly as liberating as he intended it to be.

Every green garnished hall and gold gilded room hid cameras, like little beady-eyed insects. Their evil lenses roved and tracked every step that Danny and Maddie took, and it was impossible to tell at any given moment if – or if not – Vlad was watching.

Worse, Vlad had slapped a modified version of Plasmius Maximus onto Danny's wrist, like some mechanical wristband that constantly reminded Danny of how screwed he was. This particular device completed inhibited his powers so long as it was on his wrist.

Naturally, Danny spent the morning trying everything within his abilities to remove the wristband. When these unsuccessful attempts drew questions from his mother – most particularly, why the device resembled anti-ghost paraphernalia – Danny decided to abandon the effort and search for escape routes in the manor.

Yet, every single lavish gold and green hall he passed through was under close surveillance.

"What a creep," Danny grumbled, eyeing yet another camera that eyed him right back. "If Tucker was here, he could disable this whole system…"

"What was that, little badger?"

"Ahh!" Danny whirled around – of course. Vlad.

The billionaire looked sly as a fox, hands folded behind his back. "Admiring the mansion?"

Danny scowled. "Has no one told you you're creepy? Seriously?"

Vlad forced a mournful expression. "I only seek to be accepted – to have a family, Daniel."

"For the record, kidnapping people is a terrible way to do that."

"Hmm. Walk with me, Daniel." Vlad gestured down the hall.

Oh look, the abrupt desire to get as far from Vlad as possible. "What are you gonna do, test out some new awful machine on me?"

"While that is tempting, I'm afraid my intentions are not so hostile. Come."

"Uh, do I have a choice?" This question became extraordinarily important when dealing with a person who yesterday earned Danny's obedience through electrocution.

Vlad smiled wanly. "No. Not at all."

"Great, glad to know everything's on the table." Danny fell in step beside Vlad. Silence fell between them, progressing long enough to become dull.

"You ever considered, y'know, redecorating?" Danny blurted as they approached a marble bust of Vlad himself.

"No." Vlad lifted his chin up. "Tell me about your mother, Danny."

" _What_?"

"It has been twenty long years since her and I were close. It's occurred to me that… I need to learn more about her. About how to – interest her, persay." Vlad tilted his head to the side. "In short, I wish to know how to court Madelyn."

Danny stopped. "You're kidding."

Vlad halted in place, directly beside the marble bust. His hands unfolded from behind his back; one stretched out towards the statue's cheek. "I'm very serious."

A laugh barked from Danny's throat at the sheer incredulity. "You think… you think you're going to win my mother over? After everything you've done!?"

Vlad's fingers halted, mid-reach. His rigid expression was stonier than the bust. "You're implying I can't, Daniel."

"Uh, yeah, not just implying." Typically he'd follow this with another smart-aleck comment, but Vlad hadn't moved an inch and that was scarier than Danny was willing to admit.

"Very well then. Consider a hypothetic situation. If I _were_ to win your mother over…. How might I do it? What sort of things does she like?"

Vlad was completely nuts. Completely, irrevocably _nuts_. "Catching ghosts," Danny suggested pointedly. " _Evil_ ghosts. Ghosts that would kidnap people, for example."

Vlad's eye twitched. "And _other_ hobbies…?"

"Oh jeez, I dunno – maybe _not_ being held hostage, how about that?"

"Don't antagonize me, Daniel."

Danny clenched his fists. Vlad kidnapped them, forced them into compliance, demanded to know how to win over his mother, and now he was complaining? "Vlad, there's nothing that will help you. My mom is never going to love you, no matter what you do. She loves my dad, and nothing will change that!"

Danny had precisely two seconds to regret his words before Vlad's fingers wrapped around his neck so tightly that Danny was struck with a paralyzing fear that something would be wrenched out of place.

Then his feet left the ground, and he worried a whole lot more about the fact he _couldn't breathe._

"I would suggest…" Vlad growled. "Showing a little more deference…" Danny clawed uselessly at Vlad's fingers. "To your father!"

Electricity crackled along Vlad's arm, carrying with it a deep sinister buzzing noise that swelled louder and louder; the very air thickened like turgid clouds before a thunderstorm. Danny's hair began to raise, the current tickling his neck.

"P-luh-s -n-n-" Danny gurgled past his swelling tongue.

Vlad smiled ruefully. "What is that? A no?"

Danny beat Vlad's wrists furiously.

"Well, Daniel, I make the demands around here… and I say _yes._ "

With that, the charge tore through Danny's body. His muscles seized violently; he clamped down on Vlad's wrists in a death grip, and his legs twitched and jerked like a puppet shaken on its string.

His vision whited out, his hair crackled, and the air in his shuddering lungs was brittle enough to snap.

Then the pain stopped.

He struck something hard.

Green carpet fibers brushed his cheek.

" _What do you think you're doing to my son!?"_

 _Mom?_ Danny thought dizzily.

 _"M-Maddie dear, why hello –"_

Something bit his wrist.

With heavy limbs, Danny dragged the wrist in question before his eyes. _Oh_. The Plasmius Maximus wristband.

Little bluewhite sparks sputtered from the device, which was emitting a forlorn whine.

 _Huh_ , he thought, and then consciousness fled him.


	3. Chapter 3

Vlad drew in a shaky breath, fingers tingling from where they had been wrapped around Danny's throat.

That had been… _thrilling._ Vlad gazed at his palm, bewildered. Though he did have his sadistic moments, tormenting someone did not typically involve such a profound physical reaction. And yet, while electrocuting Danny, he'd experienced a reciprocal, sympathetic shock to his own system. It felt… empowering.

Strange…

It was as if Danny's ectoplasmic DNA had somehow… _reacted_ to the electrocution. This would require further study – perhaps it was something unique to their status as half-

"Danny!"

Vlad yanked his head up.

There stood Maddie, at once breathtakingly beautiful and remorselessly terrifying, every inch a vigilant, fierce mother.

Vlad's chest swelled in possessive pride, _my darling, my Maddie_ –

"What do you think you're doing to my son!?" she yelled.

Ah. Yes, he wasn't making a good image standing above the collapsed form of their son. "M-Maddie dear –"

"Out of my way!" Not wasting a single additional moment on him, she dove to Danny's side and frantically checked his signs.

"I assure you, he will survive. I never would have done something le-"

Maddie fixed upon him a look of pure animosity; it swiftly dashed his remaining elation. "How many volts, Vlad?"

"I – what?"

"How many volts was that? I need to know to provide the right treatment!"

Maddie had such an exquisite habit of fazing him.

"I'm not sure," Vlad admitted. He knew how to regulate his strength, to apply a reduced shock or a greater one, but the actual voltages involved…. He had never measured them in his lab. Now it seemed terribly negligent of him – imagine how useful the knowledge could be!

"Give me the machine that produced the shocks," Maddie bit out impatiently. "It'll have the information on it-"

Maddie absolutely could not learn that the electricity had come from his own powers rather than some paltry device. "Just put him to bed. Young Daniel will be fine."

Maddie lurched up and threatened him with every inch of her tiny frame. "He may need a hospital, Vlad. This goes beyond you and me – he doesn't need to be hurt because of us."

The word _us_ dripped from her tongue like sweet honey, and Vlad let out a soft noise.

"Vlad!"

"Ah-ah, Maddie dearest. What did I tell you about speaking out against me?"

"He needs a doctor-"

"You wouldn't want to cause him _more_ harm, would you?"

Maddie went completely still.

Vlad adored the lines of tension along her thighs, throat, and arms. So she remembered, finally, that Vlad held all the strings here.

She couldn't disguise the strain in her voice if she tried, "s-sweetheart, for… _our_ son, please… he needs help."

"Trust me, beloved, he will be just fine." Previous electrocution incidents with Danny proved that. Not that Maddie needed to know.

Vlad caressed her waist. Ah, so warm… Soft. If only she were more receptive…

"Let me at least care for him," Maddie whispered. A single finger traced her jaw.

"Why do you resist me? I wish only the best for you…"

She averted her eyes; the message was exceedingly clear. Yet again, she desired to spurn his affections, and would only return them in exchange for Danny's safety.

Vlad swiftly buried his sentimental feelings behind a glittering smirk. "Very well. You may… care for Danny as needed. But I'll expect you in my chambers this evening, Maddie."

* * *

"Danny? Danny, can you hear me?"

Something cool daubed his forehead. A hand, gentle and familiar, rested on his forearm.

Danny mumbled softly. There was a pounding in his skull, and his muscles ached feverishly. Mom must've called him in sick from school… Danny nuzzled deeper into the bed sheets.

"Soup?" he murmured.

"What was that, honey?"

"Soup?" Mom always made him rich warm chicken soup when he got the flu.

A pause. "Oh, Danny…" she sighed, "I would if we were home…"

 _If we were home…_

Danny's wrist prickled oddly. Something was wrong.

His eyes snapped open.

The sheets, a rich forest green, adorned a mahogany four-poster bed. Baroque gold-plated picture frames decorated the walls.

Danny groaned. Right. Vlad's manor.

Maddie touched his cheek. "Are you feeling all right? Does anything hurt?" She sat at the bed's edge, clutching a cool washcloth in her hand.

"I'm okay, mom." Danny slowly sat up, clutching his forehead. "Just really sor - ah!"

Maddie pulled him into a tight hug. "Don't scare me like that," she whispered.

"O-oh, y-yeah, sorry mom, I –"

She held him gently at arm's length. "I told you not to go off alone! Vlad is a dangerous man, Danny –"

"Yeah, I know that-"

"And you _have_ to be more careful. Until my escape plan is completed, we have to comply with his will, as awful as that is."

"Wait, escape plan?"

Maddie cast him a sly smile. "I'm a ghost hunter, honey; I always have a plan."

"Heeyy, then why isn't it ready yet?" Danny teased.

Maddie ruffled his hair. "Oh hush. Even I didn't predict _this_. But there is a plan in the works!"

"Well, maybe you could share it with me?" Danny said. "We could – compare notes, plan together."

Her expression grew solemn. "Danny, what you need to do is listen to me…. Don't go antagonizing Vlad, do you understand? I know it's hard, but you need to stay on his good side, at least until we get out of here." She smirked. "Then maybe you toss some insults at him, huh? Mother's permission."

Danny chewed his lip. "I'll try. But he's such a creep! And I hate the way he looks at you!"

"Dan-" Maddie paused.

Danny froze. "What? What is it?"

"I thought I saw… " Maddie shook her head. "No, it must have been the light, dear. Your eyes reflected oddly for a moment. Promise me you'll leave Vlad alone?"

His eyes…

Had his anger made them glow green? But the Plasmius Maximus...

"Danny…" Maddie said in a sing song voice. "Promise me?"

"Uh- yeah. I promise. I need to go to the bathroom!"

Maddie quirked a brow. "Well, that sounds urgent."

"I'll be back!" Danny bolted to the restroom.

The restroom adjoined the bedroom – Danny guessed that Vlad had placed them here so that he could lock them in at night without worrying about their excretory habits.

Danny passed a precursory gaze around the bathroom's ceiling, "huh, so this is the one place you _don't_ put cameras," he muttered, "at least you have _some_ decency."

The implications for escape he could consider later. For now…

Danny raised the Plasmius Maximus wristband to eye-level. Nothing about it looked strange or off…. But it _definitely_ had been sparking before he passed out.

Had the shock compromised its function?

Only one way to find out. "Going ghost!"

The white ring materialized - Danny's excitement surged – hah! Vlad had broken the machine! – then intense pain broke all over his body, like a phantom reminder of the earlier electrocution.

"OW!"

"Danny, honey? Are you okay in there?" Maddie called from the adjoining room.

"Ugh…" Danny rubbed his head. Well, so much for that. The Plasmius Maximus was just as functional as ever… No sooner had he thought this than the device sparked and burned his forearm. "Ow! Why am I always in pain?"

"Danny?"

Danny sighed. The quirks with the device he'd have to work out later. For now, time to pretend to be on Vlad's good side… great.

"Coming, mom…"


	4. Chapter 4

_I'll expect you in my chambers this evening, Maddie,_ he had said.

It took very little imagination to work out his meaning, and that provoked an old, visceral terror. Don't walk alone at night. Watch your drink. Hold your keys between your fingers.

It'd be great if any of that advice could stop what she was certain would happen tonight.

 _It's for Danny,_ she told herself. _If you play this right, you can protect Danny._

Swallowing, Maddie tucked one auburn strand behind her ear. The mirror displayed her smooth skin, freshened makeup, and meticulously combed hair. A blue blouse buttoned up to her throat. None of it felt like her. No jumpsuit armed to the teeth with ghost-deflecting equipment. No belt loaded with every tool she could ever need for survival.

Just… this. A pretty face, spruced up with touches of makeup and a fancy outfit.

Her hands clutched the sink to hide their tremors.

"Mom? Are you almost done? I gotta piss," came Danny's voice from behind the door.

"Yes, honey, I'm just freshening up," she called back, and was proud of how normal her response sounded. "And don't use that word, Danny!"

"Yes, mom…" There was an eye roll behind that remark, Maddie just knew it.

She smiled faintly, and her mirror reflection smiled back, too much like a frightened animal.

 _No._

 _Not a frightened animal. Not just a pretty face. I am Maddie Fenton._

"Mooo-oooom! I gotta go!"

"One moment, Danny."

 _I am still a scientist. I am still a ghost hunter. I am still a mother. I can do this._

"Mooom!"

She turned from the mirror and unlocked the door, a smile ready for Danny at her lips. "Honey, I was only in there for five minutes! Don't wait so long if you have to go so badly."

Danny stopped in the doorway. "Wait, why are you all dressed up?"

Maddie rolled her own eyes like it was the most casual thing in the world. "Oh, it's silly. Vlad wanted to serve me tea, of all things!"

"Am I going, too?" Danny said, and oh her dear boy, he knew her far too well, because there was a touch of concern there in his eyes, a sliver of suspicion.

"It'll be boring; you're better off staying here for the evening. I'll be back soon enough."

"No, I'll go," Danny said decisively, "I don't want you hanging around _Vlad_ alone."

"Oh, I'll be just fine –"

"No, I'm not leaving you w-"

"Danny!"

He went quiet. Mothers have a certain tone that is not to be disobeyed.

Maddie tilted her chin up. "Danny Fenton, your butt is not to leave this room tonight, do you understand?"

"Y-Yes, mom."

She touched his hair, voice softer, "I'll be back, Danny. Everything's going to be okay."

It was unclear exactly who she was reassuring, and she left the room before she had the chance to examine it.

As she walked through the ornate halls, dwarfed by immense gilded mirrors, statues, and paintings, her mind shivered in and out of memories that had long become dusty with misuse.

Lewd gazes on the streets, strange hands groping where they don't belong, drunken sneers and the occasional free drink she never asked for.

Except in all those cases, she had been fully capable of fending off interest. Now it was so much more complicated – not just about protecting herself, but about protecting her son, as well.

If she complied, rather than fought…

But this train of thought was interrupted by Vlad. Not by the sight of him, nor by the sound of him – neither of these things alerted Maddie to his presence.

It was instead the subtle chill down her spine and the rising of hairs at the back of her neck.

"Lost?" he chimed.

Maddie turned around and there he was, standing like a pillar, clad in black with an unsettling smile at his lips. His eyes lingered far too long wherever they roamed.

"You never mentioned where your room was," she returned.

"My own fault, I'm afraid…" His smile calcified as his eyes settled upon her left hand. "Remove your ring."

Maddie placed her right hand over her left, hiding the opal from view.

" _Now_ ," Vlad insisted.

Robotically, Maddie slipped the band from her finger and nestled it into her pocket.

Vlad visibly relaxed. "There now, isn't that better? No need to see that gaudy item… if it were me, I would have selected a much finer ring, you know."

 _But it wasn't you._

"Leave it to that buffoon to choose such ill-fitting – can we even call it jewelry? – for you."

If things continued this way, her irritation and fear would snap. The glittering opal wedding ring that Jack had selected was far from conventional, and certainly not as costly as a diamond alternative.

But Jack had selected it for its resemblance to the night sky, to the nebulas and planets they loved to gaze at together. A wedding ring with meaning had much greater value to her than one chosen purely for price.

"Are we going to your _chambers_?" Maddie asked, unable to keep a tone out of her voice.

Oddly, the statement jarred him. "Maddie…. dear, I don't-" He faltered. Maddie found some vindictive gratification at his blundering. Then he shook his head, and thus returned the sinister persona. "I have no intention of _forcing_ you," he said smoothly. "The plans for the evening hardly included _that_. Unless you… desired it, of course."

So he wasn't planning on… Huh.

She willed strength into her bones. He still greatly cared for her impression of him. If she handled this right…

"What _were_ you planning?" she asked, generously roving her regard over him.

"A simple date, Maddie… to catch up, remember the good times we had together."

"It's been so long since we were close, Vlad… I'm not sure I can do something like that."

Vlad's eyed widened, everything about his demeanor softened as he approached. "Maddie darling, of course you can… Don't you remember how we were in college?"

With a deep breath, Maddie stepped nearer to him, and they halted, not even a foot apart.

He smelled of something rich and almost otherworldly, though not unlike wisps of campfire smoke clinging to dark, amber-heavy wood.

"I do remember…" Maddie murmured, coyly, "what we had…."

One delicate hand caressed the ridge of his powerful shoulder; beneath her touch she felt him tremble. His breath, oddly cool, shivered in excitement.

"Yes?" he breathed back.

She toyed with his cravat. "I have… thought about us, sometimes."

His heart began to race beneath her palm.

Slowly, she drew her eyes up to meet his, and feigned insecurity. "But we can't, Vlad… Jack –"

"Don't think of him," Vlad said, suddenly sharp.

Okay, topic change. "And – and Danny," she added lamely.

Vlad's brow furrowed.

"He – he doesn't see the good side of you, like I do." Down her hand trailed, button past button on his suit, and settled over the very last.

"What do you propose I do?" Vlad was bewitched. His fingers gingerly brushed the curve of her hip as if asking permission.

"You can be so sweet and generous, Vlad… But around him…" she shook her head. "You really hurt him this morning."

"He was out of line; he required punishment-"

"Vlad." Stern, thorny. "You want us to raise him together, don't you?"

"Yes, absolutely," Vlad replied, and he leaned in closer than their conversation required.

"Raising a child is about compromises, Vlad. I don't believe in punishment like that."

His eyes lowered to her lips. "Compromises could be made."

"No more physical punishments. Or punishments of any kind without running them past me."

"And what if the boy misbehaves?"

"I'll handle him."

"I see…" Vlad murmured. It was crystal clear that he had long since lost the weight of the conversation, and was simply replying on autopilot.

"Do you agree, Vlad?" Maddie inquired, tone rising nervously.

Vlad's lips gently parted – for a moment, Maddie believed he was going to give his reply, and then his lips brushed hers.

"G-aack!" Maddie shot out of his arms as if stung.

Vlad gazed after her with tranquil alarm, as if bewildered why she was suddenly five feet away, yet also too complacent to really mind. "Maddie, dear…?" His fingers touched his lips and lingered. His eyes were distant and unnervingly soft.

"I-I - I want to take it slow!" She flailed for an excuse and then rushed to add, "like we did in college!"

"I…. yes." Vlad cleared his throat, and shot her a smile, like they shared some thrilling secret. "Yes, of course. Slow. Just like in college."

Maddie could have laid down right there on the floor in relief. "Now, I should get back to Danny… the poor boy is probably wondering where I'm at."

"Yes, yes." Vlad's fingers touched his lips again idly, as if the sensation of the brief kiss had not quite left. "Tomorrow. Dinner. That, that is to say – I'll have dinner prepared tomorrow. Six sharp, Maddie. I'll expect you and Danny both, naturally."

Maddie agreed to the meal and darted from the hallway as quick as she could, her heart racing and her skin feeling unnaturally cool.

It was only several hallways away that she slowed, and leaned heavily against the wall, taking in deep breaths.

She must have remained there for a solid five minutes, breathing in and out, surrounded by the needless wealth that characterized every inch of Vlad's mansion.

Then, quietly, she slipped on her wedding band.


	5. Chapter 5

"Gotta…Get… this…. Stupid…. Thing…. Off! Aaaargh!"

Danny was probably making bad decisions. But the Plasmius Maximus attached to his wrist just kept _shocking him_ at completely random intervals. The machine had become a dumb torture device all on its own. At this rate, he couldn't even sleep without being zapped awake at least once.

And okay, they weren't exactly the same excruciating shocks that Vlad himself could deliver – they were more annoying than anything – but that didn't mean Danny wanted them gone any less.

At this point, he was convinced Vlad had intended this from the start. The fruitloop wasn't content with just keeping Danny stuck in human form: nope, he _also_ wanted to torture Danny with tiny little shocks every several hours.

So Danny needed it _off._ Preferably by yesterday.

He had tried banging it against the bathroom floor – that didn't do anything except exacerbate the bruises around his wrist. He had tried sticking it under bath water and slipping it off, but no luck there either; it was too tightly secured. He'd attacked it with the shaving razor that Vlad had provided, but that route was quickly deemed way too unsafe.

Danny thumped his forehead against the bathroom wall in exasperation.

"This is useless…" the stupid thing was virtually indestructible. Nothing he had done had even _dented_ it.

"Danny?"

"Ahh!" Danny scrambled away from the wall and hurriedly opened the bathroom door.

Mom looked tired again. So Vlad was probably being a grade A jerk to her; great. "H-Hi mom."

"What were you doing in there?" Maddie asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Trying to get this thing off my arm," Danny admitted; after all, whether his mom knew its actual purpose or not, she would definitely understand the desire to remove it.

Maddie frowned. "Again, Danny? Honey, I told you it would be better to wait until we had the right tools…"

Danny scowled. "I know, but it's really annoying."

Maddie made a sympathetic noise. "Maybe I can study it a bit tonight, Danny, and see if we can't get it off. It's strange; I swear it just looks so much like something your father and I would use for restraining ghosts."

"It's not!" Danny yelled. Then as an afterthought, "I mean, why would Vlad stick one of those on me? It's probably just – a way of keeping me in the mansion! Or – or a tracking device or something."

"Hmmm…" Maddie tapped her lips. "I'm not so sure, Danny. But I also don't know why Vlad would put an ecto-weapon on you…"

"No idea," Danny squeaked. "A-anyway, what's up? Was there something you had to tell me?"

"Unfortunately, yes. Vlad has another dinner planned for us."

"Oh, great, so is he gonna chain me up again?"

For a fraction of a second, pain crossed Maddie's face, and Danny regretted the remark. "Oh Danny, I'm so sorry all this has happened."

"It's not your fault," Danny said rapidly. "Really, mom, we couldn't have done anything."

"Even so… All I wanted was the best future for you possible. I never imagined we'd end up in a situation like this."

"Mom, it's okay… we're gonna make it out, between you and me."

Maddie offered a watery smile. "Of course we will, Danny."

"I mean, weren't you working on some escape plan thing? What exactly was that about?" Danny's eyes flicked to all corners of the room. He hadn't ever seen a camera in the bathroom or bedroom, which was relieving, but you could never be too sure… the last thing he wanted was for Vlad to catch wind of whatever plot Maddie had.

Maddie chewed her lip thoughtfully. "When Vlad captured us, I did manage to sneak in a tiny ghost-deflection device."

"Ghost deflection?" Danny pretended that his voice hadn't gone up an octave. "Uhh, wh-why would you need anything that deflects ghosts?"

Maddie evidently noticed nothing odd about his behavior. "You never know what you might have to be prepared for, Danny. The important thing is - the device is reprogrammable. If I can hack into Vlad's security system, we could get the cameras down for long enough to slip out of the mansion."

"Whoa. That's genius, mom! I didn't even know you were that good with computers."

"Well, that is the problem," Maddie admitted. "My expertise is in ecto-signitures, and the device is primarily designed to lock onto any ectoplasmic entities within range. It was malfunctioning to begin with, and now I'm having extra difficulty reprogramming it to recognize Vlad's security system." She shook her head. "I just don't know if it will be as useful as I was hoping, Danny."

"Hey, you'll get it worked out, mom. If any- OW!" Danny jumped nearly a foot in the air and his hand clamped down on the Plasmius Maximus, which had delivered yet another unnecessary shock.

"Danny? Is everything all right?"

"Fine," he grumbled. "Just this stupid-" And his entire arm went intangible. Danny choked.

Before Maddie noticed, the arm popped back into tangibility.

Danny yelled out, "Just – I'm stressed! Because Vlad! I-I'll be back!"

He shot into the bathroom and slammed the door.

 _Not good not good not good._

Danny rubbed his arm nervously. He hadn't even intended it to go intangible – crap, this wasn't going to be like when he first got his powers, was it? Because as a whole, he was trapped in pretty close quarters with his mom, and if he went intangible, or transformed…. it would make this whole terrible situation so much worse.

Not even Vlad would want Maddie to find out his secret. So… Maybe Vlad _hadn't_ intended these shocks…. Maybe the Plasmius Maximus really _was_ malfunctioning. And… screwing with his powers, too.

"All right," Danny muttered to himself. "So maybe it's not inhibiting my transformations anymore, either. Going ghost!"

….

Aaaaand nothing happened.

"Ughh, just my luck…" So the device was malfunctioning, but evidently not enough to enable him to get his powers back. At least… not under his free will. Danny chewed his lips thoughtfully.

His arm had gone intangible shortly after the device had sparked and shocked him…. And those sparks had started after Vlad used his powers against him in the hallway.

Maybe… Vlad's powers were interfering with the device?

"Meaning he _might_ be able to break it more…"

Danny wasn't exactly itching for a repeat of the events in the hallway, but if Plasmius' attacks on Danny were damaging the Plasmius Maximus…

"Might just be worth it," Danny muttered.


End file.
